ELLE Wellness Deep Dive: What You Keep Ignoring About Vegan Collagen, But Shouldn’t

Collagen isn’t vegan. That’s the inconvenient truth beauty marketing loves to gloss over. And yet, the shelves are overflowing with “vegan collagen” powders, serums, and gummies, all promising to plump your skin and strengthen your hair as if they’re siphoning it straight from youth itself. Spoiler: they’re not.

The Beauty Industry’s Favourite Half-Truth

Here’s the thing, collagen is a structural protein found only in animals. Full stop. What brands label as “vegan collagen” is usually a blend of amino acids, peptides, or plant extracts that may support your body’s natural collagen production. But it is not collagen.

So when you’re sipping that luxuriously packaged “vegan collagen latte,” you’re not actually replenishing lost collagen. You’re giving your body raw material it might use to build it. That distinction matters, because conflating the two is not just misleading, it sets up false expectations in everyone looking for respite.

But Don't Sign Off On It Yet

Before you spiral and toss your gummies, here’s the nuance: supporting collagen production does matter. Vitamin C, zinc, and certain amino acids found in vegan formulations are essential to the collagen synthesis process. Skincare with peptides and plant-derived boosters can genuinely nudge your skin into repair mode.

“Vegan collagen is less of a quick fix and more of a support system, especially if you’re plant-based,” says Dr. Rohan Goyal, Regenerative Medicine, Co-Founder & Medical Director, Nuvana. “Think of it as scaffolding. These supplements don’t hand you collagen; they hand you the bricks and mortar. Your body still has to do the construction work.”

The real value of this alternative collagen lies in prevention and support. Not in the fantasy of magically restoring a 40-year-old’s dermal density. If you’re buying it thinking it’s a substitute for what your body naturally loses with age, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re buying it to strengthen your foundation against stress, pollution, and lifestyle wear-and-tear, you’re on the right track.

The Bigger Question: Transparency

The beauty industry thrives on fuzzy language, but with consumers demanding more ethical, sustainable options, clarity is non-negotiable. When a product claims to be vegan collagen, the brand owes you transparency: is it a collagen booster? A protein supplement? A peptide replenisher? Words matter, especially when the price tag is padded by marketing buzz.

Is Beauty’s Future Vegan?

When properly understood, this product isn’t all about mimicry, it’s about sustainability. It’s about creating formulas that respect ethical choices, reduce reliance on animal by-products, and still contribute to skin health. It won’t erase wrinkles overnight, but it can fit into the bigger picture of mindful, responsible beauty.

And that’s the part too many people scroll past: vegan collagen may not be collagen in the literal sense, but it represents the shift toward a more honest, ethical beauty culture. So am I moving away from my bovine collagen anytime soon? Definitely not. But I do respect the people making an informed and ethical decision to use vegan collagen, without having any unrealistic expectations or demanding transformative results out of it.